Universal cooking and baking apparatus

ABSTRACT

Universal cooking unit wherein products to be cooked are introduced into a cooking or baking chamber by a drawer. The drawer includes joints to tightly seal the cooking chamber, which can be placed under vacuum, thereby permitting cooking at low temperature. A heating chamber, tightly separated from the cooking chamber, raises the temperature of the liquids, such as oil or water, for cooking the product in the cooking chamber. These liquids are heated by a preferential route fitted with electrical resistors, and are then propelled by a pump through a network of pipes, to the cooking chamber, and sprayed or vaporized on the food. The liquids are then collected on an inclined plane which recycles them to the heating chamber through filters to regenerate and reheat them by the preferential route in order to restart the cooking cycle. To change the cooking mode, a valve is closed and the oil in the container is conveyed by the pump to a reservoir for storage.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

Various apparatus are known which cook or bake with oil or water in anopen receptacle covered, at best, by a mere lid. Electrical resistanceheaters, to raise the temperature of the components such as oil orwater, are present in, the open receptacle inside the cooking enclosureand at different levels.

2. Discussion of Background and Relevant Material

Open receptacles are known, wherein the baskets holding the materials tobe cooked or baked are immersed in oil or water using a "rise and lower"mechanism. In this type of apparatus, the power elements for raising thetemperature are located underneath the cooking receptacle.

In all known systems, the heating elements for raising the temperatureare in the same place as the cooking and baking receptacle, and it isimpossible to move or atomize oil into an enclosure sealed less thanhermetically because the oil would ignite upon contact with the hightemperature of the electric resistances and oxygen.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The apparatus according to the present invention averts of thesedrawbacks and renders it possible to cook or bake particular foods withvery little oil or water, while being extremely safe. This apparatuscomprises an enclosure with a cooking chamber into which the products tobe processed shall be introduced, and a heating chamber where oil orwater is raised to a higher temperature in order to pass through anetwork of pipes and a pump to cook those products in the cooking orbaking chamber.

This cooking and baking chamber is wholly separate from the heatingchamber, and it is hermetically sealed; it may even be at maintainedunder vacuum, thereby making possible low-temperature cooking. Thevapors are recovered in condensers cooled by fins, or by water or air.

This apparatus also allows recovering the oil and storing it in an upperreservoir to allow emptying the machine for cleaning, re-starting, etc.,or merely changing the cooking and baking mode, i.e., passing from oilto water without thereby being required to evacuate all the oil, as thisoil is stored in the upper reservoir.

Because the substance is returned to the upper reservoir only at the endof cooking or baking, this allows pressure-cleaning of all parts of thecooking enclosure and also the heating chamber and its surroundingswithout contaminating the oil.

All these operations are controlled by an electric desk coupled to theapparatus, and which by means of a variety of safeguards preventsimproper procedures.

This upper reservoir also feeds oil exclusively to the heating chamberand allows maintaining a constant level of this oil during cooking orbaking by means of a floater keeping constant the required amount ofoil, and continuously controlling the level of this oil which iseliminated during cooking.

Heating elements are mounted in this upper reservoir to melt any specialfats being used and which are solid in the cold state, allowing them todescend in liquid form into the heating chamber before following thesame preferred heating path for product cooking.

The supplying and the evacuation of the processed products to and fromthe cooking or baking chamber shall be through motor-drivenshutter-gates, with protective flaps and suitable screens, that willseal hermetically to prevent any splashing during the pressurizedprocessing.

This supplying or removal of the products to or from the cooking orbaking chamber may be manual or fully automated, and can be achieved byan endless conveyor belt in the case of bulk of agro-foodstuffs.Otherwise, the product treatment shall take place in standard food bins,the bins themselves possibly being packed in shipping crates, with alldepths being applicable depending on the model for fitting the cookingor baking chamber.

These basket-bins are moved on a conveyor belt or are merely depositedin a drawer which is next to be inserted into the cooking or bakingchamber.

For large-scale cooking or baking and in automation, the baskets willposition themselves in the drawer which is hermetically closed along itsentire periphery by a suitable seal, with a motor fitted with a gearrack closing the drawer bearing the baskets; this closing also may becarried out manually by actuating a handle and applying pressure.

As regards automation and the gear-rack motor, a compression cam shallpress the drawer into its sealed position so that the seal shall be usedhermetically. An inflatable seal also may be used.

The moment the baskets have been inserted, a pump at a high pressure ofabout 60 bars will atomize the oil or vaporize the water, from the heatchamber, into steam or jets, depending on the desired cooking or baking,upon the products in the cooking or baking chamber.

These liquids, having been atomized or vaporized through nozzles, underpressure above, below and even by the walls on the products to beprocessed, will then return by means of an inclined plane and beregenerated in the heat chamber which is heated along a preferred pathso that the liquids that were cooled shall be reheated and superheatedand then shall follow the path to the cooking or baking chamber bypassing through the pressure pump. The temperatures are monitored at thenozzle exits because in steady state the reheated liquids must be at aconstant temperature. The temperatures are regulated in relation to theparticular products being cooked.

This vaporization or atomization taking place under pressure in a sealedcooking or baking chamber, lacking air and oxygen, at high temperature,liquids such as oil cannot ignite.

In another combination, vaporization-pressure need not be used as thecooking or baking means, instead a fully conventional way may beemployed, that is cooking or baking by immersion in oil or water,projection no longer being pressurized but merely serving to supply thecooking or baking chamber. The return orifice to the heat chamber beingclosed, the liquid level shall rise and submerge the products to becooked, an overflow returning the excess to the preferred path oftemperature rise of the heat chamber, proceeding with the identicalcycle of resupplying the cooking or baking chamber. The nozzles operatesimilarly, however with a level up to overflow.

Direct evacuation through a disk-valve allows evacuating vapors, passingthrough the condenser.

As regards specific cooking or baking, for instance for pastry, thepurpose of the nozzles is to knead constantly to prevent the pastriesfrom sticking to each other, because manual intervention is impossible.These projecting nozzles provide a genuine churning bath which is highlyefficient for the heat exchange during baking or cooking, while alsoallowing to remove in constrained manner the starches through theoverflow which will be recovered by a first filter in the heat chamber.This filter furthermore will retain all wastes, which include vegetableskins.

A second filter, with a different mesh fineness than the first, followsthe first to improve filtration.

The cooking or baking chamber also comprises a slow-combustion grill tocook au gratin at the end, thereby allowing to cook in different modes,this applying in particular to smaller-scale kitchens; such as toprepare lamb saute.

The bin is moved through the sealed drawer into the cooking or bakingchamber, the slow-combustion grill browns the product, then the draweris opened to apply or sprinkle flour, whereupon au gratin is slightlycontinued, and next reopening takes place and then sprinkling with whitewine or water or marinade, whereupon everything is covered by the sealedhood, and the drawer is again introduced and cooking or baking takesplace in an environment of steam flux (braising-type cooking).

Non-perforated bins shall be used for this kind of cooking, but if it isdesired to cook directly in steam flow, perforated bins shall be used.Once the cooking or baking is terminated, steam generation is stoppedand the salamander stove is used to brown the meats. In order todirectly generate flowing steam in the cooking or baking chamber,resistors are mounted underneath the cooking or baking chamber.

A turbine with which to pulsate air through the salamander stove alsomay be used in that apparatus, thereby cooking or baking with pulsatedair.

The management of all these functions is assumed by electronic controlspre-set on a control chassis.

This system allows arbitrarily setting up modules: two, three or four.Each of these modules may be independent of the others and carry out itsown cooking or baking at different durations or times and be providedwith its own heat chamber with injection pump; however, several modulesalso may depend on a single heat chamber that would control severalmodule inputs of cooking or baking chambers.

These special cases may be suitable for agro-foodstuffs in which asingle type of product would be cooked in a single duration.

This apparatus would comprise intakes and discharges the same asdescribed above but also would be equipped with a refrigerator and anevaporator to cool the cooked or baked products and then aeratedunderneath a scaffold.

The two hot and cold systems may be linked, thereby achieving rapidcooking and cooling without a break in the process and cooling theproducts before they drop below 65° C.

The bins and baskets are identical for cooking and cooling.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The attached drawings show embodiments of the invention in illustrativebut non-limiting manner.

FIG. 1 shows the overall apparatus in section while being used forcooking or baking,

FIG. 2 is a section of the apparatus with a different design for theheating chamber and the cooking or baking chamber, though beingequivalent and being provided in illustrative manner. In FIG. 2, thecooking or baking chamber is being loaded.

FIG. 3 shows the refrigerating system equipped with evaporators andturbines to cool the product, the loading and discharging taking placeidentically at the cooking or baking system by means of a sealed drawer.

FIG. 4 is a perspective of a cooking and cooling line by means of theapparatus of the invention,

FIG. 5 is an external perspective of a smaller apparatus with manualadvance and insertion of the drawer,

FIG. 6 is a perspective of a large apparatus for continuous or step-wisecooking or baking of bulk products,

FIG. 7 is a perspective of an embodiment of the apparatus which here isautomated and comprises several insertion drawers,

FIG. 8 is a perspective of another embodiment of the apparatus with anupper hood which is manually opened to insert and remove the processedproducts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a cooking or bakingchamber 1 separate from the heating chamber 2 containing water or oil 3moving along a preferred path 4 equipped with . electric ovens 5 to beheated. A pump 6 aspirates the liquids to atomize or vaporize them bymeans of sets of nozzles 8 onto the processed products 7, whereupon theliquids, such as oil or water, are recovered by means of an inclinedplane 9 and then pass through filters 10 which can be dismantled andcleaned and have different meshes to improve filtration.

These liquids then recirculate for regeneration and reheating along thepreferred path 4 and pass through another filter 11. In the heatingchamber 2, the liquids are kept at a constant level 12 from thereservoir 13 itself being filled through the stopper 14.

The reservoir 13 also can recover the oils of the preferred path 4 andin particular store them when it is desired to switch from cooking orbaking with oil or steam, or in the event of cleaning or malfunctionintervention.

In order to store in the reservoir 13, the valve 15 is closed, wherebythe pump 6 cannot convey oil into the cooking or baking chamber, andvalve 16 is opened, so that the oil may move into the reservoir 13 whilepassing through a new filter 17. A heating band 56 permits the meltingof any special fats or solid oils being used.

The products to be processed are inserted into a drawer 18 while beingin gastronomic bins or baskets 19, and this drawer 18 is equipped withseals 20, 20 ', which may be inflatable, at its two ends seal 20hermetically closes the chamber during cooking or baking, and seal 20'closes the chamber when loading the drawer 18, thereby preventing steamescaping from the apparatus. These seals may be pressure-closed. Agear-rack 21, which may be motor-driven, allows introducing the drawer18 into the cooking or baking chamber 1 by means of a roller belt 45. Asalamander stove or grill 22 shall brown the products or treat them augratin, however it will be inoperative during oil propulsion to preventthe oil from igniting.

A water condenser 23 with water intake and outlet 24 or an air condenser25 with turbine recovers excess steam or condensates.

As regards cooking by pulsated air or with superheated steam, atangential turbine 26 with a set of electrical resistors 27 allowsprojecting hot air.

A motor-driven valve 28 thereupon allows closing the condenser 23 or 25,if hermetic operation is required.

For submerged cooking in oil or water or in moving or pressurized steam,electric ovens 29 heat the receptacle 30, while the valve 31, whichallows draining from the inclined slope 9, at that time shall be closed.

A float 32 allows keeping low the water level in the steam cooking modeand another float 33 allows keeping the water-level high for submergedcooking, up to the overflow 34.

A pump 35 also allows cooking or baking in vacuum.

A safety valve 36 allows evacuating any air or steam surplus.

All operations are actuated from the control desk 37.

A tap 38 allows total emptying of the apparatus.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 3 comprises a compressor 39, vaporizers 40and 41 with their turbines 42 and 43, and a recovery circuit 44 for thedefrosting waters.

The products to be refrigerated also are contained in the drawerequipped with seals 20, 20'.

Again the products are introduced using a motor-driven gear-rack 21.

FIG. 4 comprises the above described cooking or baking and refrigerationsystems with product baskets 19 introduced into the drawer 18, theentire installation providing a continuous processing sequence for theproducts.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 5 comprises a drawer 18 advanced manually ona roller belt. The handle 46 ensures hermetic closing and opening.

The filters 10 are easily accessible in order to clean them.

A timing mechanism 47 is used to program this small apparatus.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 6 comprises a belt 48 driven by motors 49,50, and is used for continuous and bulk cooking or baking. Sets ofnozzles 8 are provided to atomize or vaporize liquids into the cookingor baking chamber 1, and the heating chamber 2.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 7 comprises a roller belt 45, severaldrawers 18, and the filters 10. This is a large-scale cooking or bakingapparatus.

The apparatus shown in FIG. 8 comprises a hood 51 actuated from a handle52 and closing in hermetic manner by means of seals 53, 54 identicalwith those of FIG. 1. The apparatus further includes a cooking or bakingchamber 1 and the sets of nozzles 8, also the salamander stove 22 andthe turbine 26.

Actuators 55 assist the opening and closing motions of the hood 51.

All the shapes, dimensions and means resorted to in the embodiment ofthe apparatus of the invention and described above may be made to varywithin the limits of equivalency.

I claim:
 1. A cooking apparatus for heating products by submersion in aheated liquid, or atomization of pressurized oil, water or steam, withcontinuous filtering and cooling at the end of a heating cycle, saidapparatus comprising:at least two chambers for separately cooking theproducts and for heating a liquid substance used to cook the products;one of said at least two chambers comprising a heating chamber whichincludes means for raising the temperature of the liquid substance usedto cook the products in a cooking chamber, said means for raising thetemperature including a path for circulation of liquid substance, whichpath contains heating elements; another of said at least tow chamberscomprising a cooking chamber for processing of the products with heatedliquid substance from said heating chamber; a reservoir for storage ofliquid substance when changing from on liquid substance to another; andsaid means for raising the temperature of the liquid substance beingpositioned in said heating chamber whereby contact between said liquidsubstance during cooking of the products is prevented to avoid ignitingof the liquid substance.
 2. A cooking apparatus for heating products bysubmersion in a heated liquid, or atomization of pressurized oil, wateror steam, with continuous filtering and cooling at the end of a heatingcycle, said apparatus comprising:at least two chambers for separatelycooking the products and for heating a liquid substance used to cook theproducts; one of said at least two chambers comprising a heating chamberwhich includes means for raising the temperature of the liquid substanceused to cook the products in a cooking chamber; another of said at leasttwo chambers comprising a cooking chamber for processing of the productswith heated liquid substance from said heating chamber; said means forraising the temperature of the liquid substance being positioned in saidheating chamber whereby contact between said liquid substance duringcooking of the products is prevented to avoid igniting of the liquidsubstance; and a salamander grill located in said cooking chamber whichis used to prepare food au gratin, said salamander grill beinginoperative during oil atomization to prevent ignition.
 3. A cookingapparatus for heating products by submersion in a heated liquid, oratomization of pressurized oil, water or steam, with continuousfiltering and cooling at the end of a heating cycle, said apparatuscomprising:at least two chambers for separately cooking the products andfor heating a liquid substance used to cook the products; one of said atleast two chambers comprising a heating chamber which includes means forraising the temperature of the liquid substance used to cook theproducts in a cooking chamber; another of said at least two chamberscomprising a cooking chamber for processing of the products with heatedliquid substance from said heating chamber; said means for raising thetemperature of the liquid substance being positioned in said heatingchamber whereby contact between said liquid substance during cooking ofthe products is prevented to avoid igniting of the liquid substance; andmeans for cooling cooked products comprising a refrigeration chamber,and including a drawer having seals to achieve hermetic closing of saidrefrigeration chamber.
 4. A cooking apparatus for heating products bysubmersion in a heated liquid, or atomization of pressurized oil, wateror steam, with continuous filtering and cooling at the end of a heatingcycle, said apparatus comprising:at least two chambers for separatelycooking the products and for heating a liquid substance used to cook theproducts; one of said at least two chambers comprising a heating chamberwhich includes means for raising the temperature of the liquid substanceused to cook the products in a cooking chamber; another of said at lesttwo chambers comprising a cooking chamber for processing of the productswith heated liquid substance from said heating chamber; said means forraising the temperature of the liquid substance being positioned in saidheating chamber whereby contact between said liquid substance duringcooking of the products is prevented to avoid igniting of the liquidsubstance; and drawer means for inserting or removing baskets containingthe products, said drawer means including seal means for achievinghermetic sealing of the cooking chamber.
 5. The apparatus according toclaim 1, further including a pump for flowing heated liquid substancefrom said heating chamber to said cooking chamber.
 6. The apparatusaccording to claim 5, further including a set of nozzles for atomizingor vaporizing said heated liquid substance over the products to becooked in the cooking chamber.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 6,further including a receptacle having an inclined plane for returningliquid substance after passing through said set of nozzles over theproducts to said heating chamber.
 8. The apparatus according to claim 7,wherein said receptacle includes a valve for controlling flow of liquidsubstance to said heating chamber.
 9. The apparatus according to claim8, further including means for filtering liquid substance being returnedto said heating chamber.
 10. The apparatus according to claim 1, furtherincluding valve means for controlling the flow of liquid substance toand from said reservoir.
 11. The apparatus according to claim 10,wherein said valve means permit flow of liquid substance to said path.12. The apparatus according to claim 1, further including means forheating said reservoir to permit the melting of solidified oil orspecial fats.
 13. The apparatus according to claim 11, further includingmeans for heating said reservoir to permit the melting of solidified oilor special fats.
 14. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein theproducts are cooked by submersion in liquid substance within saidcooking chamber, and including nozzle means within said cooking chamberfor propelling heating liquid substance to agitate the products toprevent their adhering to each other so as to enhance heat exchange. 15.The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said cooking chamber sihermetically sealed.
 16. The apparatus according to claim 14, furtherincluding an overflow for decanting excess liquid substance togetherwith starches and skins from products.
 17. The apparatus according toclaim 16, wherein said overflow is connected to said path.
 18. Theapparatus according to claim 17, further including means for filteringwithin said overflow.
 19. The apparatus according to claim 1, furtherincluding a salamander grill located in said cooking chamber which isused to prepare food au gratin, said salamander grill being inoperativeduring oil atomization to prevent ignition.
 20. The apparatus accordingto claim 1, further including means for cooling cooked products.
 21. Theapparatus according to claim 20, wherein said means for cooling includesa refrigeration chamber, and includes a drawer having seals to achievehermetic closing of said refrigeration chamber.
 22. The apparatusaccording to claim 3, further including a roller belt for feeding saiddrawer to said refrigeration chamber, and said seals include a seal at abottom portion of the drawer for preventing cold from escaping duringfeeding of the drawer to the refrigeration chamber by said roller belt.23. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said means for coolingis sufficient to cool the products in less than two hours.
 24. Theapparatus according to claim 1, further including drawer means forinserting or removing baskets containing the products, said drawer meansincluding seal means for achieving hermetic sealing of the cookingchamber.
 25. The apparatus according to claim 4, further including aroller belt for feeding said drawer means to said cooking chamber, andsaid seal means include a seal at a bottom portion of the drawers meansfor preventing steam from escaping during feeding of the drawer means tothe cooking chamber by said roller belt.
 26. The apparatus according toclaim 1, further including pump means for drawing a vacuum in saidcooking chamber whereby products may be cooked at low temperatures. 27.The apparatus according to claim 7, further including pump means fordrawing a vacuum in said cooking chamber whereby products may be cookedat low temperatures.